Death, afterlife, and reincarnation; How NDEs are making people confident about a life in new realm

People all across the world interpret death in two ways; some people use science to explain death, while others connect death with spirituality. Even though humans have been trying to decode the mysteries associated with death since the day the species achieved consciousness, this phenomenon remains a conundrum for many. Medical experts suggest that death marks the end of human life, as the body stops its operation when the brain ceases its functioning. However, spiritualists have a very different opinion about death. Citing religious textbooks, they claim that human life is not just confined to the physical world, but the real journey to eternity starts after death. 

Near-death experience mysteries continue

To substantiate the possibility of life after death, spiritualists often put forward near-death experience (NDE) testimonials shared by people. A website named Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF) is loaded with NDE testimonials shared by people from all across the people, and most of them claim to have witnessed magical visuals while being on the verge of death. 

Even though medical experts classify near-death experiences as a survival trick adopted by the human brain during life-threatening events, spiritualists argue that the visuals seen by NDE victims are actually the evidence of a new realm people will reach after taking their last breath. 

Is the human body confined to the physical world? 

The concept of life after death is not just endorsed by spiritualists, as several medical experts have also hinted at the possibility of entering a new spiritual world after death. Dr. Bruce Greyson, professor emeritus in psychiatry at the University of Virginia once claimed that human life is not just confined to the physical world. In an interview given to the Observer, Greyson claimed that NDEs have transformed people's beliefs, values, and attitudes. He also added that there could be a non-physical part for human beings. 

"I am convinced now, after doing this for 40, 50 years, that there is more to life than just our physical bodies. I recognize that there is a non-physical part of us. Is that spiritual? I'm not sure. Spirituality usually involves a search for something greater than yourself, for meaning and purpose in the universe. Well, I certainly have that," said Greyson. 

Reincarnation or rebooting in another space-time after death?

Reincarnation is a very popular concept often put forward by spiritualists. However, there are some medical experts who believe in the possibility of this reincarnation theory. Dr. Ian Stevenson, former Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and former chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology who had dedicated a major part of his career studying reincarnation possibilities until his death in 2007 believe that reincarnation is a feasible concept. 

Stevenson, before his death, claimed that he had found more than 3,000 examples of reincarnation in his life. The psychiatric expert used facial recognition to analyze similarities between the reincarnated claimant and their alleged prior incarnation. He also studied the birthmarks of the claimant and the deceased person. 

"About 35 percent of children who claim to remember previous lives have birthmarks and/or birth defects that they (or adult informants) attribute to wounds on a person whose life the child remembers. The cases of 210 such children have been investigated. The birthmarks were usually areas of hairless, puckered skin; some were areas of little or no pigmentation (hypopigmented macules); others were areas of increased pigmentation. In cases in which a deceased person was identified the details of whose life unmistakably matched the child's statements, a close correspondence was nearly always found between the birthmarks and/or birth defects on the child and the wounds on the deceased person," wrote Stevenson in his study report titled Birthmarks and Birth Defects Corresponding to Wounds on Deceased Persons. 

However, Dr Robert Lanza, head of Astellas Global Regenerative Medicine believes that humans will reboot themselves in another spacetime after death. Lanza believes that time and space are just manmade concepts that cannot be measured. According to Lanza, consciousness in humans exists through energy, and it will be released once the physical entity of a human ceases. He added that this energy will continue at a quantum level once a person dies, suggesting a possibility of life after death.